It was a bloody Father 's Day weekend in Chicago , but police said murder and shooting rates are significantly below those at the same time last year .

Seven people were shot to death and there were 26 `` shooting incidents '' from Friday to Sunday , according to Chicago Police Department spokesman Adam Collins .

But to put it into perspective , Collins said , eight more people were shot on the same weekend last year . He said overall crime in Chicago is down 14 % , the lowest since 1963 .

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Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy issued a statement regarding the weekend 's violence , saying that `` while we 've had fewer murders to date this year than any year since the mid-1960s , there 's more work to be done and whether it 's police , clergy , community organizations , parents or residents , we all have a role to play in continuing to reduce violence and no one will rest until everyone in Chicago enjoys the same sense of safety . ''

The city ended 2012 with a marked increase in homicides , with 506 people killed that year , up from 433 in 2011 . Forty-three people were killed in January 2013 alone .

Hadiya Pendleton , 15 , was one of those January victims . The teenager had just performed at one of the events surrounding President Barack Obama 's inauguration in Washington when she was shot dead in a park a mile from his Chicago home . First lady Michelle Obama attended Pendleton 's funeral , and her story became part of the national gun-control debate . Two men have been charged in Pendleton 's death .

In a February speech about gun violence , President Obama said that poverty and violence are connected and that parents and communities must work to provide hope for young people .

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`` In too many neighborhoods today , whether here in Chicago or the farthest reaches of rural America , it can feel like , for a lot of young people , the future only extends to the next street corner or the outskirts of town , '' he said at a Chicago high school .

`` This is not just a gun issue , '' he continued . `` It 's also an issue of the kinds of communities that we 're building , and for that we all share responsibility as citizens to fix it . ''

The March shooting death of a 6-month-old baby also captured national headlines . Jonylah Watkins was killed while her father , Jonathan , was changing her diaper in a minivan , police said . A man has been charged in the shooting , which prosecutors say stemmed from the theft of a video game .

Chicago 's police department has been implementing a new plan to fight crime , and `` we 've come up with what I think is a groundbreaking way to do it , '' McCarthy told CNN .

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The plan centers around drug operations , a new gang database system and more beat cops on the street .

`` The same cops on the same street every day , and they know the kids who are coming from basketball practice and the kids that are standing on the street corner , '' McCarthy said .

But the city has used more than 75 % of its overtime budget , and despite the success , not everyone agrees this is the best way forward .

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U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois announced a plan last month to arrest thousands of gang members -- a plan that was called a `` white boy solution '' by U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush of Chicago .

Rush favors community development programs over heavy-handed justice .

`` Both are necessary , not either-or , and the notion that its one or the other is wrong , '' said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanueal .

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Emanuel helped develop the overall crime strategy , which , along with the policing changes , includes pushing parents to step up , prevention programs and justice . He says despite the success there are still some serious issues that need to be tackled .

`` We still have a challenge where people know someone has committed a crime and are not reporting it , '' he said . `` The community has to be part of the solution to have it long term not momentary , to have it really ingrained to make a community safe . ''

Man charged with killing 6-month-old Chicago girl

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Seven people were shot to death over the weekend in Chicago

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City police point out there were more than twice as many a year ago

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The department has been implementing a new plan to fight crime

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Despite the success , more work needs to be done , officials say